Ethical Behavior Essay

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Ethical Behavior Good or Bad in a Business

Ethics
Every day around the world people are faced with decisions that may or may not be good for a business. In some businesses, bosses have made it clear that all employees should make ethical decisions while working. Ethics is defined as the standards of moral behavior, that is, behavior accepted by society as right versus wrong. But, is ethical behavior actually good or bad in a business? Ethical Behavior is what every employee should use while working for a business, but not every employee thinks that way. Making these Ethical Decisions may affect other employees, customers or even higher management for that business. In Understanding Business, it states that there are three questions that you should ask yourself while making your decision. The first question states “Is my proposed action legal?” meaning that you could be breaking the law or the company’s policy. The second question states “Is it balanced?” as in are you being fair to everyone that could be in your decision. Finally, the third question is “How will it make me feel about myself?” which makes you think if you would be happy in making the right decision or what it would be like if you didn’t make the right decision. According to John Ward, “emphasizing ethics in the business builds trust and loyalty from customers, motivates sales staffers, creates a culture of honesty and attracts top employees who want to work for a company whose standards they respect and share.” Having that being said, all of those things would show good Ethical behavior in the business and it would create a positive atmosphere. “The social context can have a significant impact on people’s decisions and behaviors, but people’s decisions can also shape the context in which business emerges. Thus, context dictates ethical behavior to a certain extent, whereas some individuals (like leaders) can influence the setting in which ethics can become more or less salient. (De Cremer,...